Senator SMITH.
You were across the ship?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Yes.
Senator SMITH.
You were then on the starboard side?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Yes. We went across there because we heard a certain kind of shouting going on, and just as we got around the corner I saw these two flashes of the pistol, and Steffanson and I went up to help to clear that boat of the men who were climbing in, because there was a bunch of women - I think Italians and foreigners - who were standing on the outside of the crowd, unable to make their way toward the side of the boat.
Senator SMITH.
Because these men had gathered around this collapsible boat?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Yes, sir. So we helped the officer to pull these men out, by their legs and anything we could get hold of.
Senator SMITH.
You pulled them out of the boat?
Mr. WOOLNER.
We pulled out several, each.
Senator SMITH.
How many?
Mr. WOOLNER.
I should think five or six. But they were really flying before Mr. Murdoch from inside of the boat at the time.
Senator SMITH.
They were members of the crew?
Mr. WOOLNER.
I could not tell. No; I do not think so. I think they were probably third class passengers. It was awfully difficult to notice very carefully. I got hold of them by their feet and legs. Then they cleared out, practically all the men, out of that boat, and then we lifted in these Italian women, hoisted them up on each side and put them into the boat. They were very limp. They had not much spring in them at all. Then that boat was finally filled up and swung out, and then I said to Steffanson: "There is nothing more for us to do. Let us go down onto A deck again." And we went down again, but there was nobody there that time at all. It was perfectly empty the whole length. It was absolutely deserted, and the electric lights along the ceiling of A deck were beginning to turn red, just a glow, a red sort of glow. So I said to Steffanson: "This is getting rather a tight corner. I do not like being inside these closed windows. Let us go out through the door at the end." And as we went out through the door the sea came in onto the deck at our feet.
Senator SMITH.
You were then on A deck?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Yes, sir.
Senator SMITH.
And did you look on both sides of the deck to see whether there were people?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Yes, sir.
Senator SMITH.
You say there were none?
Mr. WOOLNER.
None, the whole length of it.
Senator SMITH.
The whole length of A deck you saw no people?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Not a soul.
Senator SMITH.
How long was that after the collapsible lifeboat that you have just referred to was lowered?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Oh, quite a few minutes; a very few minutes.
Senator SMITH.
You remained down there with your friend until the sea came in - water came in - on A deck?
Mr. WOOLNER.
On that A deck. Then we hopped up onto the gunwale preparing to jump out into the sea, because if we had waited a minute longer we should have been boxed in against the ceiling. And as we looked out we saw this collapsible, the last boat on the port side, being lowered right in front of our faces.
Senator SMITH.
How far out?
Mr. WOOLNER.
It was about 9 feet out?
Senator SMITH.
Nine feet out from the side of A deck?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Yes.
Senator SMITH.
You saw a collapsible boat being lowered?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Being lowered; yes.
Senator SMITH.
Was it filled with people?
Mr. WOOLNER.
It was full up to the bow, and I said to Steffanson: "There is nobody in the bows. Let us make a jump for it. You go first." And he jumped out and tumbled in head over heels into the bow, and I jumped too, and hit the gunwale with my chest, which had on this life preserver, of course and I sort of bounced off the gunwale and caught the gunwale with my fingers, and slipped off backwards.
Senator SMITH.
Into the water?
Mr. WOOLNER.
As my legs dropped down I felt that they were in the sea.
Senator SMITH.
You are quite sure you jumped 9 feet to get that boat?
Mr. WOOLNER.
That is my estimate. By that time, you see, we were jumping slightly downward.
Senator SMITH.
Did you jump out or down?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Both.
Senator SMITH.
Both out and down?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Slightly down and out.
Senator SMITH.
It could not have been very far down if the water was on A deck; it must have been out.
Mr. WOOLNER.
Chiefly out; but it was sufficiently down for us to be able to see just over the edge of the gunwale of the boat.
Senator SMITH.
You pulled yourself up out of the water?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Yes; and then I hooked my right heel over the gunwale, and by this time Steffanson was standing up, and he caught hold of me and lifted me in. Then we looked over into the sea and saw a man swimming in the sea just beneath us, and pulled him in.
Senator SMITH.
Who was he?
Mr. WOOLNER.
I do not know.
Senator SMITH.
Did you pull anybody else in?
Mr. WOOLNER.
No; by that time we were afloat.
Senator SMITH.
Did anybody leave your lifeboat?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Leave it?
Senator SMITH.
Yes; after you got in.
Mr. WOOLNER.
No.
Senator SMITH.
Or attempt to leave it?
Mr. WOOLNER.
No. By that time we were bumping against the side of the ship.
Senator SMITH.
Against the Titanic's side?
Mr. WOOLNER.
She was going down pretty fast by the bow.
Senator SMITH.
You were still on the port side? Forward, or back, or amidships?
Mr. WOOLNER.
We were exactly opposite the end of the glass window on the A deck.
Senator SMITH.
How many men did you find in that collapsible boat?
Mr. WOOLNER.
We found one sailor, a steward, and one other man.
Senator SMITH.
And your friend and yourself?
Mr. WOOLNER.
And the man we pulled out of the sea.
Senator SMITH.
That made six.
Mr. WOOLNER.
Yes.
Senator SMITH.
How many women were there in that boat?
Mr. WOOLNER.
I did not count them. It seemed quite full of women and children. I should think there were about 30.
Senator SMITH.
About 30 women and children?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Yes, sir.
Senator SMITH.
How many children?
Mr. WOOLNER.
I did not count them, but quite a bunch.
Senator SMITH.
Did you know any of the women, or do you know any of them now?
Mr. WOOLNER.
I can not remember their names. One lady had a broken elbow bone. She was in a white woolen jacket. She sat beside me, eventually.
Senator SMITH.
What officer, it any, did you find in that collapsible boat when you got in?
Mr. WOOLNER.
No officer.
Senator SMITH.
Who took charge of that boat?
Mr. WOOLNER.
There was a seaman in the stern who steered her with an oar, but when we got out among the other boats, we obeyed the orders of the officer who was in charge of the bunch of boats.
Senator SMITH.
Who was that, if you know?
Mr. WOOLNER.
I think it was Mr. Lowe, the man who got his sail up.
Senator SMITH.
He got his sail up?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Afterwards; not then, but later. I think his name was Lowe.
Senator SMITH.
How far out from the side of the Titanic did you go before you stopped?
Mr. WOOLNER.
We got out three oars first, and shoved off from the side of the ship. Then we got her head more or less straightaway, and then we pulled as hard as we could, until, I should think, we were 150 yards away, when the Titanic went down.
Senator SMITH.
Did you see her go down?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Yes.
Senator SMITH.
Were you near enough to recognize people on deck?
Mr. WOOLNER.
No.
Senator SMITH.
As she went down did you see or feel any suction?
Mr. WOOLNER.
I did not detect any; she seemed to me to stop for about 30 seconds at one place before she took the final plunge, because I watched one particular porthole, and the water did not rise there for at least half a minute and then she suddenly slid under with her propellers under the water.
Senator SMITH.
She went down bow first.
Mr. WOOLNER.
Yes.
Senator SMITH.
Did you hear any explosion?
Mr. WOOLNER.
No; a sort of rumbling roar, it sounded to me, as she slid under.
Senator SMITH.
What, if anything, can you say to the committee regarding the discipline or absence of discipline on the part of the officers or crew after the impact?
Mr. WOOLNER.
I saw no want of discipline.
Senator SMITH.
Was there any warning or signal given, to your knowledge, after the boat struck, to passengers in their rooms?
Mr. WOOLNER.
I can not tell you, because I simply went to my room and got my lifebelt and came away -
Senator SMITH.
Who fired those two shots, do you know?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Mr. Murdoch, so far as I can tell.
Senator SMITH.
Mr. Murdoch, the chief officer?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Yes; he was the first officer, was he not?
Senator SMITH.
You are quite certain it was not Mr. Lowe?
Mr. WOOLNER.
I am pretty certain. I think I recognized the voice of Mr. Murdoch.
Senator SMITH.
Mr. Lowe says he fired three shots as his lifeboat was being lowered.
Mr. WOOLNER.
I do not remember them.
Senator SMITH.
You got off about 150 yards from where the ship went down, and then you tied up with these other boats -
Mr. WOOLNER.
We rowed on and on for some time.
Senator SMITH.
Was your boat alone?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Yes; for quite a considerable time we simply rowed out into the sea.
Senator SMITH.
For how long a time?
Mr. WOOLNER.
I should say a quarter of an hour. We heard other boats around about us, and when the eyes got accustomed the darkness we could see a certain amount.
Senator SMITH.
Did you have any light in your boat?
Mr. WOOLNER.
There was a lantern, but there was no oil in it.
Senator SMITH.
After pulling out for 15 minutes or so, what took place?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Then some officer came along and said: "I want all these boats tied up by their painters, head and tail, so as to make a more conspicuous mark"; and we did that; and there was no call to row much after that because we were simply drifting about.
Senator SMITH.
Did you go back to the scene of the wreck after pulling out this 150 or 200 yards?
Mr. WOOLNER.
No.
Senator SMITH.
Was there any attempt made by your boat to go back, so far as you know?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Not by our boat; no.
Senator SMITH.
Did the women urge that the boat be taken back?
Mr. WOOLNER.
No.
Senator SMITH.
Did you hear any officer say that the boat should be taken back to the scene of the wreck?
Mr. WOOLNER.
I did not.
Senator SMITH.
After you got tied together, what did you do?
Mr. WOOLNER.
We drifted about for a long time.
Senator SMITH.
Drifted?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Yes; just drifted about. There was nothing to do.
Senator SMITH.
And waited until daylight?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Yes; and then dawn began to break very slowly, and we could see more.
Senator SMITH.
During the time that you were drifting about did you see any lights in any direction other than those that were on the lifeboats?
Mr. WOOLNER.
I could not tell; but there was a green light that appeared, not all the time, but most of the time, down to the south.
Senator SMITH.
How far away?
Mr. WOOLNER.
I could not tell, but I should think about half a mile or a mile.
Senator SMITH.
That was probably the green light that was on Officer Boxhall's boat?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Very likely. I did not identify it.
Senator SMITH.
Did you see any lights beside that, in any direction that looked like the lights of a ship?
Mr. WOOLNER.
No.
Senator SMITH.
Or did you see any rockets?
Mr. WOOLNER.
I think I saw a rocket, rather in the direction where the Carpathia came up; but it was very distant.
Senator SMITH.
How long before the Carpathia came up?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Considerably after the sun rose.
Senator SMITH.
After daybreak did you sight the Carpathia right away?
Mr. WOOLNER.
No, sir; we did not sight the ship. Other things happened before then.
Senator SMITH.
Tell what happened.
Mr. WOOLNER.
An officer came down and said he wanted to empty some of the people out of his boat, because he wanted to go and rescue some people who were on what he called a raft; and they put some people out of the boat, as many as our boat would hold. Probably 5 or 6 were put in our boat, which brought us down very close to the water.
Senator SMITH.
That was Mr. Lowe's boat?
Mr. WOOLNER.
I think it was.
Senator SMITH.
And they took the people out of Mr. Lowe's boat?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Into other boats.
Senator SMITH.
And did they put some oarsmen into Mr. Lowe's boat?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Yes; then he got a crew, mostly of sailors, I think.
Senator SMITH.
He recruited a crew from amongst those lifeboats?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Yes; or he may have turned out certain men from his boat and got others.
Senator SMITH.
And you went in the direction of this swamped boat?
Mr. WOOLNER.
Yes; and took the men on board.
Senator SMITH.
Did you go with him?
Mr. WOOLNER.
No, no. We were very heavily laden then.
){kind=link}